McDonald’s removes the lamb from Lambton

While Federated Farmers is saddened it
understands why McDonald’s has removed lamb as a permanent
item from its local menu. Federated Farmers still has big
hopes this breakthrough will eventually appear in other
markets where lamb is widely consumed.

“McDonald’s may have removed the lamb from Lambton,
but to us, the decision is more a speed hump,” says
Jeanette Maxwell, Federated Farmers Meat & Fibre
spokesperson.

“China has become our largest lamb
market by volume and if we look to India, where free trade
negotiations are underway, it has a 300-million strong middle class fast
developing a taste for meat. .

“It looks
promising if we put these together with the substantial
intellectual property McDonald’s New Zealand has for how
lamb works within the McDonald’s system. In ANZCO’s
Taranaki plant it has the means of production while our
farms provide the raw ingredients and an impressive back
story.

“Federated Farmers enthusiastically backed
McDonald’s introduction of lamb but local sales had tailed
off. That is the commercial reality but I know lamb’s
initial sales success will see it back on a regular
basis.

“As we have seen with Richard Revell’s MO2 carbonated
milk, good ideas have a habit of winning through in the
end.

“What has been great is seeing how lamb is
being used by other brands. Subway has used it meanwhile
both Burger Wisconsin and Burger Fuel feature it as
permanent menu items.

“Burger Fuel is particularly
exciting given its expansion into the Middle East, where
lamb is a favoured meat protein.

“With
McDonald’s, Federated Farmers was always realistic that
lamb burgers alone were never going to be our saviour. What
remains important is the new thinking it typified.

“McDonald’s is worth some half a billion dollars
each year to Kiwi suppliers. Some $180 million was spent
locally last year, including buying 210 tonne of lamb. In
2011, McDonald’s helped to export more than $320 million
worth of food to its restaurants around the world.

“It will be great to see lamb back on its menu locally
but it is also great what McDonald’s New Zealand exports
from New Zealand. Our big hope is that lamb may one day
make an appearance in those export figures,” Mrs Maxwell
concluded.
ends

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